A Classic and Unexpected Delight

Woodsin uses the question of how black people should be educated to cut to the core of some of the most important debates regarding African-American culture and identity. Some like Booker T. Washington believed black people should focus on learning technical trades. Others wanted black people to learn of classical culture as a means of attaining access to white culture. This debate involved questions of dignity: how might education be used to teach someone the inherent dignity of humanity. And to what extent might the sense of dignity be better acquired through the ability to support oneself through an independent trade.

There are economic questions implicit within this debate to be sure. Learning technical trades might have provided black people with a route into the lower middle class in 1900, but Washington appears to have neglected the fact that just at the time he was advocating learning technical trades those trades were being mechanized. Meanwhile, a classical education may have been used to teach black people to think for themselves. It may have made them better preachers and teachers, the most common work roles amongst educated blacks at the time of writing. However, Woodsin points out the many ways such an education was being used merely to mimic educated white people and how it was failing to be used to help black people better understand themselves and the world in which they were enmeshed. Woodsin focuses much attention on the lack of initiative amongst blacks and the sources of failure of black run businesses. A major source of their failure was, in his opinion, their unrealistic expectations and lack of connection between mind and reality. Whereas they should have been asking themselves how they might increase the sales of a corner stand so as to open up several more, they were studying and trying to imitate the experiences of multi-national businesses. He saw the education black people were receiving at that time as doing almost nothing to prepare them for the sorts of small scale business endeavors in which they were most likely to engage.

Ever-present are the questions of dignity and self-esteem. How is learning perverted in the quest to possess the status of being educated? How might education best teach us to learn? How might education bring the wealth that brings status? And what sort of status truly inspires a high self-regard? Woodsin emphasizes the importance of role models and knowing African and African-American history (he was the founder of African-American history month). He also appears to possess a strong intuitive sense of how education can be made useful. He comes at these questions and numerous others with a rare combination of social critic and exporter to success. This is the best of the American self-help tradition, though it is far deeper than the best of self-help literature.

While the book was written in the early thirties, it is still highly relevant. It is semi-philosophical, semi-sociological. The tone is emphatic and searching. And it should be treated as one moment in the debate amongst W.E.B. Dubois (Souls of Black Folk) and Booker T. Washington (Up From Slavery). Though Woodsin may have been the comparative under-achiever (really an extreme over-achiever in his own right, being probably the best educated black American in his day), this struck me as the deepest of the three books. But why limit yourself to one; they are all very short, the three together being no longer than your average non-fiction audiobook. Having listened to each, you will come away with a deeper understanding, empathy, and respect for the Africa-American experience of achievement and some of the timeless challenges black leaders must continually confront. And best of all, you will be challenged to think, and you will be less willing to settle for easy answers.

I read this book because it was a classic; I came away convinced it is a masterpiece.

46 people found this helpful

Learned So much

This book is a must read for those that want to know where we came from. Yes it is one mans opinion to how we think and learn but I feel we all fall into some of the pit-falls of the past. I plan on reading and listening to this book over and over. I have a daughter in early childhood education and plan on sharing this book with her.

10 people found this helpful

An Eye Opener

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book as required reading for every black American. It clearly verbalize the issues we must overcome and the dangerous thinking that will for the most part keep a person in captivity.

What did you like best about this story?

How honest the writer was with the subject matter. Dr. Woodson gives a frank and honest look at how the American philosophy for success was never meant to be applied to the black man. Therefore the black man would have to create a foundation of their own.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book left me amazed, at how little we've changed over the 80 years since the writing of this book.

Any additional comments?

Read the BOOK...

8 people found this helpful

Love The Book But The Narrator’s Reading...

This is a wonderful book. However, the narrator consistently miss pronounces words. He says “come promise” instead of compromise. There are others as well, however that does not detract from what the author is conveying. Love this book.

5 people found this helpful

outstanding!

What made the experience of listening to The Mis-Education of the Negro the most enjoyable?

I read the book many times but it was refreashing to hear it this time.

What other book might you compare The Mis-Education of the Negro to and why?

One of a kind.

Which character – as performed by Anthony Stewart – was your favorite?

N/a

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Tried but needed more time.

Any additional comments?

Excellent. I already recommended the audio book to my friends.

11 people found this helpful

Should Be Required Reading

I've always wanted read this book and I'm glad it's on Audible. Very informative: it not only points out the problems but offers solutions. Even more relevant today. Every black family should study this book.

The narrator was great although he read a little fast. The editing could have been better.

Overall- great!

4 people found this helpful

Great read, poor narrator.

Narrator rushed through so many passages that it was hard to grasp some of the content.

3 people found this helpful

Must Read!

This book is a must read for all black students .
Especially with wats going on in the world today k!

3 people found this helpful

great audio book

great book, so shocking to hear that a lot of the problems they had back then, we still have now in the black community and America!

3 people found this helpful

Excellent

A must read

13 people found this helpful